


Romanov's (For The Best)

by natashasbanner



Series: Endgame Missing Scenes/Fix It Fics [4]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-19
Updated: 2019-05-19
Packaged: 2020-03-07 17:15:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,585
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18877630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/natashasbanner/pseuds/natashasbanner
Summary: A year after they fixed everything, Bruce was finding it hard to move on. He lost so much that day. But one day he stumbles upon a little cafe with a familiar name. It's almost too good to be true.





	Romanov's (For The Best)

**Author's Note:**

> This idea completely came from thegirlsinthefirehouse on tumblr, I just ran with it. I hope you all enjoy because when they sent me this idea, I was in love.

Bruce was lost. 

It had been a year since they got the stones and brought everyone back and Bruce was struggling. In one day, Tony, Steve as they knew him and Natasha were all gone. And so was Hulk. He felt it when he put on the gauntlet, but the effects didn’t kick in until weeks later. It was like an extremely slow transformation back into himself. He was just Bruce again after a few months. 

It was jarring and took some getting used to, but he got by. Just another thing lost that day. 

He moved away from New York the first chance he got. He couldn’t take it. They were remodeling the tower and not a day went by when there wasn’t some sort of Iron Man memorial or celebration. He stayed in New Asgard until the transformation was over and then he went to San Francisco to study time travel with Dr. Pym and Dr. van Dyne. 

For a little while he was consumed with it, but when he was alone the crushing loneliness and guilt threatened to drown him. He couldn’t bring Nat back and it haunted him, that paired with the pain in his arm kept him up most nights. 

He thought the arm would heal with time but he was wrong. The burns healed, leaving his entire right arm, shoulder and part of his neck badly scarred. The nerves were fried, but he got a little movement back. Just another thing he’d learn to live with. 

It was lunchtime and he’d been wandering the city for over an hour looking for a place to eat. Nothing sounded good, but his appetite hadn’t completely died with his green other half. He was about to give up and go back to his apartment when a tiny cafe tucked between a hardware store and a bookshop caught his eye. The name printed on the window stopped him in his tracks. 

_ Romanov’s  _

For a moment he thought he was seeing things, but it didn’t change after he blinked a few times. It was just a coincidence, she spelled it differently, but he couldn’t deny his piqued interest. A car horn shook him out of his daze and he hurried across the street. 

He reached for the door handle but hesitated. 

“What am I doing?” he muttered to himself and took a step back to let someone else go inside. 

This was ridiculous. The exact thing he’d been trying to avoid. Why set himself up for inevitable disappointment when he knew what he really wanted wasn’t waiting on the other side of that door. 

Maybe going back to his apartment was a good idea after all. He turned and started in the direction of his apartment, but something inside the cafe caught his attention and any rational instinct went out the window. 

He threw open the door and joined the short line that had formed at the counter. He craned his neck to get a better view of the person working the register. He could have sworn he saw. 

He shook his head at himself. And started to leave, but then the doors to the back opened and the flash of red he caught reemerged and there she was. 

Natasha, in the flesh, wearing the cafe’s uniform. There were plates stacked up her arms and a big smile on her face as she walked out to drop plates off at the tables. He watched her until she disappeared through the doors again. 

He didn’t know how or why, but he was certain. It was her. 

And suddenly the walls felt like they were closing in on him and his heart rate spiked. Years ago he might have been worried about leveling the small restaurant, but now he was concerned he might pass out in line.

The back doors opened again and Natasha, or the very convincing look alike, took over for the girl at the register. And he was next in line. 

On instinct he turned on his heel and bolted out the door as quickly as possible. He didn’t stop until he’d passed the bookshop and slipped into the alley to get his bearings. 

He was losing it. It was the only explanation. For the last year, he thought he’d seen her and Tony countless times. In a crowd, he’d catch a glimpse of red or a sculpted goatee and for a moment he’d feel hope. But then his rational mind would kick in and he’d be left with this sinking feeling of disappointment. 

But never has his mind conjured such a clear image. Maybe it was time to talk to someone. Pepper suggested it the last time he talked to her and Rhodey strongly agreed. He was working on it. 

He didn’t know how long he stood, hunched over in the alley, but once he was calmed down he arrived at the decision that he had to go back. He was certain he was seeing things, his mind so desperate for his friends it’s started to hallucinate them. But a small part of him, a very loud small part was telling him to go back, to make absolutely certain it wasn’t the impossible staring him in the face. 

Mind made up, Bruce pushed off the wall and headed back to the cafe. He took a breath and opened the door, his eyes on the floor. He lifted his head as the door closed behind him and his heart dropped into his stomach. 

She was still there, standing behind the cash register looking directly at him. She was smirking and his heart ached at the sight of it. She looked like he remembered, except the hair that she hadn’t bothered to dye back before was back to her natural red. 

“Was it something I said?” she asked and it was music to his ears. 

He looked over his shoulder to make sure she was talking to him before stepping up to the counter. 

“Sorry?” 

“You ran out of here like you’d seen a ghost,” she said, tapping around on the screen in front of her. 

Bruce shook his head and patted his pants pockets. “I thought I left my wallet next door.” 

He pulled it out of his pocket as proof, but there wasn’t a question in her eyes. She just continued to smile at him. He was at a loss for words and confused and his mind was blank. He must look silly, but there was nothing he could do. 

“What can I get you?” 

“Oh, uh, right,” he glanced up at the menu, but he glanced back down at her a heartbeat later. “Sorry, I’ve never been here.” 

“Really?” she asked, raising an eyebrow. “You look very familiar.” 

He let out a breathy chuckle and looked back at the menu. “Must have one of those faces. I didn’t even know this place existed.” 

“Been here almost ten years, you must be new to the city.” 

He shrugged. “Few months. You’ve been working here the whole time?” 

She laughed. “I should hope so, I own the place.” 

His eyes snapped back down to her and he raised an eyebrow. “What would you recommend, Ms. Romanov?” 

“The caprese panini my personal favorite and the tomato basil soup is my specialty,” she said tapping around on her screen again. 

“Sold,” he said with a chuckle, his stomach rumbling loudly. 

Bruce felt his cheeks warm and he scuffed his foot against carpet he was standing on. 

“Here or to-go?” 

“To-go. Please.” 

To her credit she didn’t laugh, just focused on her screen and told him his total. “And my name’s not Romanov by the way.” 

“Oh, uh, I’m sorry,” he apologized quickly handing over the cash. “I just figured with the name being printed on the window and all.” 

She shrugged and handed him his receipt. “The name came with the building, I figured I draw in old and new customers.” 

“Smart.” 

“It’s Banner,” she said with a soft smile. “Natalia Banner.” 

Bruce swallowed the lump that formed in his throat. That had to be some sort of cruel joke.

He cleared his throat. “Bruce.” 

“Nice to meet you, Bruce.” 

“Likewise.” 

A bag appeared in window behind the counter and she turned to retrieve it. She slid it across the counter, but slid it back a little when he reached for it. She smirked and pushed it over to him. Their fingers brushed when he grabbed the handles and he saw her eyebrows wrinkle momentarily before she shook her head. 

“Welcome to the city, Bruce,” she said. “Come see us again.” 

His smile was involuntary as he backed toward the door. “Thanks. I will, uh definitely.” 

His back hit the door and she chuckled before moving back to the register to help the customer who just came in. He glanced over his shoulder again, just in time to see her laugh at something the customer said. He smiled sadly to himself and left the cafe. 

As he slowly walked back to his apartment, he almost laughed at how ironic it all was. He fought tooth and nail to bring her back, that she could live to see the world restored. He thought he failed and in a sense he had. He didn’t bring back the Natasha they knew and loved, but this version looked happy. In her little, out of the way cafe. 

He’d go back, but he wouldn’t intervene. Who was he to ruin this new life for her? 

It was for the best. 


End file.
